Shuttleless loom



Feb. 16, 1937. w POOL 'I 2,070,749

SHUVTTLELESS LOOM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i A L-:hl:

W. POOL SHUTTLELES S LOOM Filed Sept. 5

lll/11 /1111 l O OL Feb. 16, 1937.

mi I 3/6 -43 Patented Feb. 1937 SHUTTLELESS LOOM 'William Pool, Spondon, England, assigner to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application september 5, 1935, 'serial No. 39,201 In Great Britain September 14, 1934 5 Claims.

This invention relates to shuttleless looms. U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391 describes means for eil'ecting weft selection in a shuttleless loom of the type in which weft is drawn in loop form from a supply prior to insertion into the warps,

the particular description' of the specificationY being directed to a loom having' weft measuring apparatus capable of effecting a selection from four different Wefts supplied at each or either side of the loom. Weit is presented to loopdrawing means by means of movable trapping means housed within gear boxes, which boxes contain the vbulk of the mechanism for effecting the selection of the weft and for controlling the lengths of the weft loops and the release of the loops for`insertion into the warps. Each gear box contains four rotatable members in the form of discs, each carrying a pair of trapping devices, and pivotally mounted latches operating in connection with notched members rotatable with said rotatable discs provide for the release of one of the discs and the locking against rotation of the remainingv discs.

Pairs of pivoted latches are connected together by links to ensure that only one latch of each pair Awill be in position to lock its disc against rotation. Further means are provided to ensure that the drive to the gear box is transmitted only to the one disc free for rotation, differential mechanisms being employed to provide for the driving of all the discs from a common driving means.

One of the trapping devices on each disc is provided with a cutter to sever the weft after every other pick presented by that disc.

An endless chain has pivotally mounted on it pairs of loop-drawing carriers and selector means provide for one only of each pair of carriers being brought into operative position in relation to the disc selected to present weft for insertion. In connection with one of the discs means are provided to Withdraw out of the path of the carriers the length of weft extending between an inserted pick and the disc during any interval elapsing before the drawing of a second loop from that disc.

According to the present invention, the disclocking latches form part of a rigid, conveniently rectangular, frame-work, movement of the frame in one direction releasing one pair of discs While locking the other pair. The movement of the frame-work, which is guided by rollers engaging suitable slots, is effected by means of a crossslide having a pair of inclined slots engaging pins on two side members of the frame-work, the

cross-slide being operated by means of a forked lever mounted on the end of 'a dobby-controlled sleeve extending into the gear box. The two latches for the upper pair of discsare spring mounted in the frame-work so that each of these latches -has a suilicient movement to allow it slightly to enter its corresponding slot immediately the controlling sleeve moves. Should, therefore, the selector mechanism operating to transmit the drive to one freed disc only operate in advance of the cross-slide, the spring-loaded latches make certain that their respective discs cannot move forward and so cause a mis-change.

Other improvements in the latch mechanism and in the disc selecting mechanism'and trapper construction will appear from the subsequent description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the mechanism of the instant invention incorporated in the gear-box assembly illustrated in Figure 6 of U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391;

Figure 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the gear-box assembly, part of which is shown in Figure 1, and corresponds to Figures 5 and 7 of Patent No. 2,005,391;

Figure 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, l

of the gear-box assembly taken on the line 3 3 of the present Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a part sectional elevation looking at the left-hand side of Figure 3, and corresponds to Figure 22 of Patent No. 2,005,391 and y Figures 5 to 12 show, diagrammatically, the sequence of operations followed in inserting two consecutive connected picks in one disc of a gearbox.

A chain 5 drives a chain-wheel 6 of the gearbox 'l comprising upper and lower gear housings 2|, 22 and side housings 23, 24 surrounding a tunnel-like space 25. In the lower and upper walls 26, 21 of the housings 2l, 22 respectively are provided bearings 28a, 28h, 28o, 28d for spindles 29a, 2gb, 29o, 29d to which are rigidly secured discs 30a, 30h, 30e, 30d within the tunnel 25, each of the pairs of discs 30a, 30h and 30e, 30d facing each other and each of the pairs 30a, 30o and 30h, 30d lying side by side.

In the subsequent description, similar parts associated with or operating in connection with each of the discs 30 are given the same reference numeral, and, where the description is applicable to each or all of the discs generally, such reference numeral is used alone. Where, however, the description relates to the operation of the member in connection with a particular disc, the reference numeral has added to it the sumx a, b, c, or d to correspond to the appropriate disc 30a, 39h, 30c, or 30d.

On the ends of the spindles 29a, 29h, 29e, 29d within the housings, 2 I, 22 are secured gears 3|a, 3|b, 3|c, 3|d, the gear 3|a being driven by gear 32a loosely mounted on the vertical .shaft 33. Gears 3| b, and 3|c and 3|d are similarly driven from shafts 33 and 34.

At the upper ends of the shafts 33, 34 are ar-` ranged diierential gears 38, 39 carrying helical gears 40, 4| driven, asA described in U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391, from the two sides of the differential 42 carrying the chain wheel 6. By means of the drive through the three differential gears 38, 39, 42, any one of the discs 30 can be driven while the others remain stationary.

Connected with each of the disc-driving gears 3|a, 3|b, 3|c, 3|d is a projecting rim 56a, 56h, 56e, 56d respectively, each having two notches 51 on the opposite sides of its periphery. A rectangular frame-work comprising horizontal members 60, 8| and vertical members 62, 63 lying in the housings 2| 24 carries latches 64a 64d, an upward movement of the frame releasing the upper discs 30a, 30e and a downward movement the lower discs 30h, 30d,

The frame is guided by rollers 65 engaging slots 66, and its vertical movement is imparted by a cross-slide 61 guided by rollers 68 and slots 69. In the slide 61 are two inclined slots 10 engaging pins 1| on the members 62, 63 of the frame. 'I'he cross-slide is given endwise movements by a forked lever 12 mounted on the: end of a sleeve 13 extending into the gear-box the lever 12 embracing a pin 14 on the slide 61.

The latches 64a, 64e for the upper pair of discs 30a, 30a are urged downwards by springs 15a, 15c, so that each of these latches enters the corresponding notch 51 immediately the cross-slide 61 moves to change the operation from one of the upper discs to one of the lower discs 30. The discs 30a, 30e then cannot move.

The top latches 64a, 64e are rectangular in shape and slightly less in width than the notches 51. It is not necessary that the bottom latches 64b, 64d be spring-loaded; each of these, however, preferably has an inclined edge, as shown, to engage a correspondingly shaped notch to ensure that these latches are forced out of engagement with the notches should any mischance bring the latch-carrying frame into an intermediate position.

Spring-loaded plungers 16 are also fitted to engage the opposite slots 51 to those engaged by the spring-loaded latches 64 to centralize the upper discs 30a, 30o, thus eliminating the effect of any back-lash in the gearing. A single blade spring 11 serves to load both plungers. The other pair of discs 30h, 30d may similarly be fitted with spring-loaded plungers. The spring-loaded plungers also have the eiect of easing the reaction load on the latches just at the moment that the drive changes from one disc to another.

The selection of the one of each pair of weft carriers 18 '(on chain 5) which is to remain inoperative is effected, as in U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391, by means of slides 19 carrying teeth a 80d. These slides 19 are controlled by a lever 8| on the end of an extension 82 of a dobby-controlled spindle 83 which extends into the gear-box to provide for the drive of one disc only. A link 84 connects the lever 8| with a lever 85 operating one of the toothed slides 19 and a stirrup 86 connects that slide with the other so that both slides move simultaneously in the same direction to one side or the other of the gearbox, and throw one carrier into inoperative position while permitting the other carrier to remain in the operative position into which it has previously been brought, as described in U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391.

Provision is made for independently loading the two trapping devices 81 on each disc 30. For this purpose, the spindles 88 of the two trapping devices engage diametrically opposed notches 89 in a plate 90 loosely surrounding the bearing 29 of the disc 30. Springs 9| located in recesses in the disc adjacent the spindles 88 force the plate 90 in such a direction that the trapping devices 81 normally remain closed. Cams 92 engaging the ends of' the spindles open the trapping devices as required. ,The spring 9| adjacent the trapping device fitted with a cutter 93 is stronger than the other so as to ensure certain cutting of the weft as this device operates every other pick. As described in U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391, the cams operating the trapping devices may be adjustable to vary the time of operation. In

addition, the gear wheels 32 driving the lower discs 30 may it on a taper 94 on their driving shafts 33, 34 so that these wheels may be rotated slightly on their 4shafts to provide a further adjustment of timing.'

It has been found that the weft-withdrawing hook employed to withdraw the weft supplied by one of the discs (30e) out of the path of the carriers (and described in Patent No. 2,005,391 of which see Figures 23 to 28) effectively releases the weft when that disc is again in operation without the use of the control means described in U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391, since the trapping device cuts the withdrawn length of weft suiiiciently near to the hook to allow the end of the length to run out of the hook. A simplified means to bring the hook into weft-engaging position comprises a symmetrical two-lift cam 95 (see Figure 2) mounted on the spindle 29e of the corresponding disc 30e and adapted to engage a roller 96 on a lever 91 in connection with the lever 98 which carries and operates the withdrawing hook. Since the weft-withdrawing hook is beyond the plane of Figure 3 it has been omitted from the figure for the sake of clarity. 'Ihe above mentioned figures of Patent No. 2,005,391, however, give detailed illustration of the position and function of the hook.

Figures 5 and 12 show how, by modified working of the apparatus, the compensating mechanisrn of Figures 29-31 of U. S. Patent No. 2,005,391 may be dispensed with.

Figures 5 and 6 show the weft 99 held by its end in trapper A and then by the rotation of the disc 30 engaged by the trapper B. In Figure 7, a carrier 18 has drawn the weft between the trappers A and B into a loop, the weft running freely through trapper B. The loop |00 reaches its full size, as in Figure 8, and then is released from the carrier 18 and substantially simultaneously with such release is engaged by the dummy shuttle |0| moving from, right to left. The dummy shuttle |0| inserts the weft as a pick |02 of the fabric |03, leaving a length |04 extending from the edge |05 of the fabric to the trapper B (Figure 10). Meanwhile, the disc 30 continues its rotation, a carrier 18 drawing out a second loop |06, which, as shown in Figure 11, is cut by the trapper A from the weft supply 99 before the carrier 18 has travelled as far as the traveller After cutting of the second loop los by the' trapper A, the carrier 18 retains its hold on the loop though still travelling. This enables the length of the second loop between the carrier 18 and the trapper B to be kept under control until the dummy shuttle engages the length as shown in Figure 12, so as to insert it into the warps, the trapper B releasing the weft to end the cycle.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Weit-measuring apparatus of the type described, comprising four trapping means arranged in two pairs, four latches adapted to lock each of the four trapping means respectively, a rigid frame carrying the latches in pairs, and means to move the frame in one direction or the other to free onepair of trapping means and lock the other.

2. Welt-measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one pair of latches is spring mounted in the rigid frame.

3. Weit-measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one pair of latches are rectangular in shape to engage correspondingly shaped but wider notches in the one pair of trapping means, and the other pair of latches have an inclined edge to engage and facilitate entry into correspondingly shaped notches in the other pair of trapping means.

4. Weft-measuring apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a cross-slide, inclined slots between the cross-slide and the rigid frame, and/ means for giving the cross-slide an endwise movement to operate the rigid frame.

5. Weit-measuring apparatus of the type described, comprising four trapping means arranged in two pairs. four latches adapted to lock each of the four trapping means respectively, two notches in each trapping means, one or other of which is engaged by the locking latch for such trapping means, and a spring-loaded plunger in connection with each of one pair of trapping means to enter the notches not occupied by the latches for such pair of trapping means.

WILLIAM POOL.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

.Datent No. 2,070,749. February 16, 191

WILLIAM POOL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 53, for the word "and" read to; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform tc the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of March, A. D. 1937.

Henry Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents 

